It is easily one of the most remembered teen dance movies of the 00s, with a huge fan following.
Save the Last Dance premiered in 2001, grossing over $130 million (£98 million) worldwide and catapulting its leading lady, Julia Stiles, to superstardom.
The teen drama follows grieving ballerina Sarah Johnson, played by Styles, who attends a Chicago high school and falls in love with her classmate, Derek Reynolds, played by Sean Patrick Thomas.
Together, they mix ballet and hip-hop to help rebuild her confidence and land an audition for the prestigious performing arts school Juilliard.
Along with Styles and Thomas, the hit film starred stars such as Kerry Washington, who also went on to become a Hollywood mega-star.
But while some actors have gone on to conquer Hollywood, others have gone in completely different directions.
Save the Last Dance: Where are the cast now? A look at the wildly diverse fortunes of the stars of the 2001 film
Earlier this week, Julia Stiles sent millennials into a frenzy when she recreated her iconic routine during an episode of Dancing with the Stars.
However, there was an extra surprise in store as at the midpoint of the routine Ezra Sosa stepped back to allow Julia to sit on the floor, before the camera cut to a shot of her pro partner standing alongside Shawn Patrick Thomas.
Earlier this week, Julia sent millennials into a frenzy when she recreated her iconic routine during an episode of Dancing with the Stars.
The actress and her protégé on the American dance competition Ezra Sosa performed a hip-hop and jazz-style take on Jennifer Lopez’s Jenny from the Block to mark the show’s Super Bowl night.
Julia paid tribute to the film’s Juilliard Dance Auditions finale, starting her routine sitting on a chair, then mixing ballet moves with hip-hop like her character Sarah Johnson.
However, there was an added surprise as at the midpoint of the routine Ezra stepped back to allow Julia to sit on the floor, before the camera cut to a shot of her pro partner standing with Shawn.
Julia’s Save the Last Dance co-star expressed his approval of her, perfectly mimicking a famous shot from the film.
The actress got emotional while talking about the ‘full circle’ moment after the dance and said she had ‘the best time.’
‘Oh my god. I’ve been seriously wanting to work on that movie for 25 years, and I never knew I’d find it on my favorite TV show on the planet!’ she told Entertainment Tonight. ‘I loved every minute of it.’
As fans rejoice in the nostalgic moment, the Daily Mail takes a look at what the Save the Last Dance cast has been up to so far.
Julia Stiles (Sarah Johnson)
Julia starred in the Bourne series of films and also played Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook (pictured on the left in the recent and on the right in the film)
Julia, now 45, played the lead character Sarah, who dreams of a career as a ballet dancer.
The role won her two MTV Awards for Best Kiss and Best Female Performance and a Teen Choice Award for Best Fight Scene for her fight with Bianca Lawson.
After the film, he starred in the Bourne series of films and also played a role in Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper’s Silver Linings Playbook.
Most recently, he starred in Sky Original’s Riviera and released his first feature film as a director, Wish You Were Here.
In 2017, she tied the knot with Preston J. Cook and welcomed son Strummer later that year.
In 2022, she gave birth to the couple’s second child, Arlo.
Shawn Patrick Thomas (Derek Reynolds)
Shawn got various TV roles like Vixen, Gen V and Reaper and played Geoffrey in The Good Fight (pictured on the left in the recent and on the right in the movie)
Sean, now 55, played Derek, Sarah’s dance teacher and boyfriend.
Since the film, he has had various TV roles such as Vixen, General V and Reaper and enjoyed a role playing Geoffrey in The Good Fight.
The Delaware native also starred in Barbershop, reprising the character in both the 2004 and 2016 sequels.
She received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Gene Mobley in the acclaimed 2022 drama film Till.
Most recently, he played Professor Chadwick in a TV adaptation of Cruel Intentions.
Sean married actress Aonica Laurent in 2006 and they have two children.
Kerry Washington (Chenille Reynolds)
Kerry transitioned from supporting star to leading lady while starring as Olivia Pope in Scandal (pictured recently on the left and in the film on the right)
Kerry, now 49, played Sarah’s best friend, Chenille, in Save the Last Dance.
Since then, she has gone from supporting star to leading lady, starring as Olivia Pope in Scandal.
The performance earned her two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Television Drama.
His acclaimed credits include Django Unchained, American Son, and Little Fires Everywhere.
She starred opposite Ben Affleck in the Netflix thriller Animals and hosts the popular podcast series Streets You Grew Up On.
In 2016, he launched his own production company, Simpson Street, whose first project was the critically acclaimed HBO film Confirmation.
In addition to her own productions, she has directed episodes of acclaimed shows such as Insecure and SMILF.
Outside the box, Carey has been very open about her mental health crisis and struggle with an eating disorder.
She first revealed her battle with binge eating in a 2020 interview with Essence. She later detailed the ‘toxic’ disorder in her 2023 memoir, Thicker than Water.
Appearing on the Call Her Daddy podcast earlier this year, he recalled that it wasn’t his relationship with food that compelled him to seek treatment.
‘I was really in a mental health crisis. “The thing that really helped me deal with my eating disorder was not the food, not the behavior with food,” she said. “It was the suicidal thoughts.”
She explained that at the time, she was ‘trying to run away from life’.
But eventually she realized that she needed to understand how to live in life because I was terrified that I was being so cruel to myself. I was in so much pain that it seemed as if causing more pain was the only way out of my pain.
Now, Kerry is happily married to former NFL player Nnamdi Asomugha in 2013 and they have a daughter and son.
She is also the stepmother of Asomugha’s daughter from a previous relationship.
Bianca Lawson (Nikki)
Bianca made a big splash in supernatural and teen TV (pictured recently on the left and right in the movie)
Bianca, 47, played Derek’s jealous ex-girlfriend Nikki in Save the Last Dance.
After the film, the actress made a big mark in supernatural and teen TV.
She played Emily Bennett in The Vampire Diaries and Darla Sutton in Ava DuVernay’s critically acclaimed drama series Queen Sugar.
His credits also include Teen Wolf, Saved by the Bell: The New Class, Rogue, and Good Behavior.
The actress, who is the stepdaughter of Tina Knowles, played teen roles well into adulthood when she appeared as Maya St. Germain in Pretty Little Liars, when she was 33.
Bianca revealed that a big reason for her youthful, wrinkle-free skin was the fact that she stuck to the same skin care products and never tried the latest trends.
“I don’t really have any routine or rules, and I think that’s the secret — the simpler, the better,” she tells Vibe. ‘I’ve been using the same products since high school. I feel like the more you leave yourself alone, the better you will be.’
Terry Kinney (Roy Johnson)
Terry continued to have a successful career as both an actor and theater director (pictured left and right in the recent film)
Terry, now 72, played Sarah’s jazz-musician father Roy in the film.
After the film, he continued a successful career as both an actor and theater director.
He became widely known for playing the role of Tim McManus in HBO’s acclaimed prison drama Oz.
In recent years, he played fix-it man Hall on Showtime’s hit series Billions and starred in Netflix’s high-profile mini-series Inventing Anna and Ryan Murphy’s mystery thriller The Watcher.
Terry is a renowned figure in Chicago and Broadway theater, having co-founded the world-renowned Steppenwolf Theater Company with Gary Sinise and Jeff Perry.
He has directed major productions for Steppenwolf, including Another Marriage, and the world premiere of The Night Fawn
Fredro Starr (Malakai)
After Save the Last Dance, Fredo got one of his most recognizable roles as Barksdale enforcer Marquis in the HBO drama The Wire (pictured left in recent and right in the film)
Fredo, now 55, famously played Derek’s close but troubled childhood friend Malakai.
After Save the Last Dance, the actor received one of his most recognizable roles as Barksdale enforcer Marquis in the HBO drama The Wire.
He moved into hosting and co-presenting Dance 360.
His other credits include Torque, My Brother, Equal Standard and The Tunnel.
Right after the debut of Save the Last Dance, Fredro released his solo rap album, Firestar.
He also continued to perform and release music with his famous, hardcore hip-hop group Onyx.
In addition to performing the Save the Last Dance theme song Shining Through, he contributed to other major soundtracks – notably writing the song Last Days used in Eminem’s 2002 film 8 Mile.
Fredo married model Corina Longin in 2007 and they have two sons.